Bless this Mess

and, boy, did we have a mess yesterday!!  Communication is not one of our marriage's strengths.  A few words said in a way, undecipherable by the other, can start us on a spiral of hurt, blaming and distrust.  I heard recently that you should marry the man or woman who you will enjoy "making up" with :-).  I do choose to MAKE UP with Fred.  All is well and I choose to not bring up the past anymore - it hurts the present and wounds the future!

Anyway, our pastor has started a new series called, "BLESS THIS MESS", teaching men and women to love and lead each other and their families to be devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

 

 

Here's some highlights from the first week:  http://rockharbor.tv/blessthismess.php

 

1) Do you have an attitude or gratitude?

 

   Gods

   Riches

   At

   Christ's

   Expense

 

    Psalm 100:4-5,  Thank first vs. tank  "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

 

2)  There is a reward for all who run the race.  Luke 6:45 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

 

Play The Gratitude Game - toss a toy to a family member and say something you're thankful for - speak a blessing over that person.  What gets rewarded gets repeated.

 

3)  Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends.  Philippians 2:3-4, 5-7  "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."  Where entitlement is high, gratitude is low.

 

4)  Grateful people can find a blessing, enlarge a blessing or create a blessing ..... in almost any situation.  Ungrateful people can find a burden, enlarge a burden or create a burden ..... in almost any situation. 

 

5) Do you feel burdened or blessed?  I Chronicles 4:10 " Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!  Let your hand be with me, and keep me from hard so that I will be free from pain.'  And God granted his request."

 

  The result of this prayer is changed lives or missed opportunity; changed lives or comfortable lives.

 

WHERE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BEGINS WITH GRATITUDE.

 

. 

 



Love's Sacred Song

"Love grows like a dance, my lamb. It is a series of steps, a string of decisions both you and Solomon will make.

Sometimes when he withdraws, you must pursue him, while other times you must step back and let him return to you.

Remember, a man's character is defined by more than a single decision, and love is made of more than a single step. Keep listening to Jehovah. He will set the tempo of your dance. "

Pg 233 book by Mesu Andrews about Solomon's betrothal to the Shulammite Arielah

Once A Month Meals

This concept seems as overwhelming to me to type as it seemed to organize and complete!!  However, we did it (x3) and continue to enjoy the results!!  The pre-planning has been so helpful to both of my daughters' desire to put a home cooked meal on the table!

I have the menus, recipes, grocery list, prep instructions and cooking instructions in Google Drive spreadsheets that I would be happy to share.  If you're interested in our Spring 2014 documents, email me at karla4cm@gmail.com and I'll send you the link.  It was 25 meals each and many meals have leftovers that can be used later in the week or refrozen.

A few highlights:  (easily duplicated by using your recipes - use recipes that you know you like)

Buy meat to barbecue in bulk - steak portions, pork loin chops or steaks, thin chicken breasts or tenders, fish filets

1.  Portion meat in Ziploc bags, season and add sauce.  Two highlights:  your husband is in charge of the main dish!  He bbq's while you make a salad or cook a side.  And, the meat marinates in the sauce while thawing in the refrigerator during the day.  I featured this technique on April 9, 2014 on this blog.

2.  Buy big chunks of meat and freeze in meal size portions - gallon size.  These take a couple days to thaw in the refrigerator.  Here are three big chunks of meat recipes.
           a. We used pork roast and added onions, bbq sauce and pineapple.  Jaclyn pours the whole bag into the slow cooker on low in the morning and enjoys for dinner in evening!

 

        b.  We made meatloaf and froze in the gallon size Ziploc.  Michelle put in her slow cooker at 7:30am on low and at 5:30pm, I lifted out with a slotted spatula to serving dish (lots of grease, drippings in the bottom).  So good!  4 of us had dinner and there were 3 pieces left for Josh's lunch the next day.  Recipe is here - Michelle added the sauce to top of loaf in the morning.

 

 

          c.  We made pot roast and veggies and froze in the gallon size Ziploc.  The onion soup mix provides a great seasoning.  Be sure and mix with hot water before pouring into Ziploc.  Make sure liquid covers potatoes so they won't brown in the freezer.  My crock pot recipe book says to layer your veggies under the meat when cooking.  I don't think 8+ hours in the crock pot will be a problem.

 

3.  Use a blank calendar grid on your frig to know what meal you're having on what day.  Both Jaclyn and Michelle have found this helpful in organizing the week/month ahead.  It helps to know what sides/veggies are needed at the grocery store as well as what needs to be put in the frig to thaw on what day. 

 

You can do this too!!

Leftover Easter Ham - what to do.....

 

 

 

Did you serve ham for Easter?  Get to bring some home?  Purchase it during the Easter sales?

 

Here are some ways I use ham.....(recipes included in this post are potato casserole, impossible quiche, sunrise breakfast casserole, split pea soup with ham, ranch oyster crackers)

 

If you had a boneless ham the following are easy ideas (bone-in below):

 

1. Serve sliced with a potato casserole.  Reheat sliced in a sauté pan with a little water and a lid.  It will steam and reheat.  My families favorite is Grandma Sue's potatoes:

 

I have recently been buying dehydrated potatoes in bulk foods or at Costco.  This casserole is a great use for these potatoes.  Rehydrate about 5-6 c. per recipe.  Baking wont take as long.  This casserole freezes well.

 

2.  Serve sliced with fresh baked rolls and salad.  We did this on Easter evening for a lighter supper.

 

3. Serve diced in macaroni & cheese.  I don't have a good recipe for this, Fred prefers Kraft out of the box :-).

4.  Serve diced on chef's salad.  Greens, raw veggies, sliced hard boiled eggs, crunchy bacon or strips of turkey.  Traditionally 1000 island dressing is used. 

 

5.  Have breakfast for dinner!  Quiche below is one of my families favorites.  (Jackie is my sister in law).  Small diced pieces could be added to waffles or pancakes and you could add diced ham instead of sausage to a breakfast potato casserole.  Included below.

 

 

 

 freezes well!

 

If you happened to buy a bone-in ham (which was .99lb last week where I shopped):

 

 Cut off the big chunks of ham and slice/dice for recipes above.  The leftover meaty bone is great soup in the making!  Split pea w/ ham soup seems to be a make or break soup!!  My niece Teresa loves it!  My son in law Cody hates it!  Fred's family grew a lot of dried peas on the family farm so I try and keep it in our menu once a year or so.

 

Here's the recipe I am using today:

 

 

 This recipe for Oyster Crackers is great for snacking or in soup!  I made them today with bottled ranch dressing instead of the oil and packaged mix.  I don't think I'll do that again.  The texture just doesn't seem the same.  Gwen Hudson is my model Grandma - she hosts a cousin camp every summer for her grandkids.  I hope to do that some day as well!

 

 

Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns - I have to admit that I'm amused by the irony of these buns.  A traditional treat made with leavened dough and consumed on the first day of The Feast of Unleavened Bread.  A "religious" treat on a day that Christ gave His sinless life for our sin.  Unleavened is symbolically considered free of sin.  Nevertheless, they are a good teaching tool for our families and a reason to discuss leaven or sin.  Like yeast, it permeates our being.  Only through the redemption of  Jesus Christ, human yet without sin, are we invited into the presence of Holy God.  Wow!  What a gift!  Celebrate Holy Week!  God's gift to mankind on the very day that generations of God's people have remembered His deliverance from Egyptian slavery.  Karla

One a penny, two a penny!

From the recipe archive, in time for Good Friday! ~Elise at simplyrecipes.com

Have you ever made hot cross buns? They’re an Easter tradition, a soft, slightly sweet, spiced yeast roll speckled with currants and often candied citron. They’re marked with a cross on top (hence the name), signifying a crucifix, and are typically served on Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday.
Hot cross buns are a rather old English tradition, dating back to the Saxons who marked buns with a cross in honor of the goddess Eostre, the goddess of light, whose day of celebration eventually became Easter.

Inspired by a nursery rhyme,  have you tried to decipher the lyrics: What were hot cross buns? How come sons only get them if there aren’t any daughters? And why are they priced one ‘ah penny, and two ‘ah penny? Who would just buy one when you can have two?!

 

 

 

Hot Cross Buns Recipe

• Cook time: 3 hours
• Yield: Makes 16 buns.

Ingredients - or use a favorite sweet dough recipe and start at instruction #6

• 1 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground spices (for example, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tbsp butter, softened
• 2 eggs, room temperature (if taking right out of the fridge, let sit in warm water for a few minutes to take the chill off before using)
• 3/4 cup currants (can sub half of currants with chopped candied citrus peel) (could use raisins)
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Glaze

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp milk

Frosting

• 1 teaspoon milk
• 3 to 4 Tbsp powdered sugar

Method

1 In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the warmed milk and one teaspoon of sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
2 In a large bowl or the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, vigorously whisk together 3 cups of the flour (reserving additional flour for later step), the salt, spices, and 1/4 cup of sugar.
3 Create a well in the flour and add the foamy yeast, softened butter, and eggs, and the remaining milk. Using a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of your mixer, mix the ingredients until well incorporated. The mixture should be shaggy and quite sticky. Add in the currants, candied peel, and orange zest.
4 If you are using a stand-up mixer, switch to the dough hook attachment and start to knead on low speed. (If not using a mixer, use your hands to knead.) Slowly sprinkle in additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, kneading to incorporate after each addition, until the flour is still slightly tacky, but is no longer completely sticking to your fingers when you work with it.
5 Form a ball of dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit, covered, at room temperature (or in a warm spot) for 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
6 Press down on the dough to gently compress it. Roll the ball of dough into a log shape and cut it into two halves. Place one half back in the bowl while you work with the other half. Take the dough half you are working with and cut it into 8 equal pieces. The easiest way to do this is to roll it into a log, cut it in half, then roll those pieces into logs, cut them in half, and then do it again, roll those pieces into logs, and cut them in half.
Take the individual pieces and form them into mounds, placing them 1 1/2 inches apart from each other on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and then work the remaining dough into 8 equal pieces and place them in mounds on a baking sheet, again cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough mounds sit at room temperature (or warm place) to rise again, until the mounds have doubled in volume, about 30-40 minutes.
7 Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare egg wash by whisking together one egg and a tablespoon of milk. If you want, you can score the top of the buns with a knife in a cross pattern. You will want to make fairly deep cuts, for the pattern to be noticeable after they're done. Using a pasty brush, brush on the egg wash over the dough mounds. The egg wash will give them a shiny appearance when cooked.
8 Place in the middle rack of the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the buns are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer the buns to a wire rack to cool.
9 To paint a cross on the top of the buns, wait until the buns have cooled (or the frosting will run). Whisk together the milk and the powdered sugar. Keep adding powdered sugar until you get a thick consistency. Place in a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off a small piece from the corner of the bag and use the bag to pipe two lines of frosting across each bun to make a cross.

Cooperative Kids Without Nagging!

The following is from The Mom Conference - I typed the Powerpoint slides.  More from this presenter is available at......positiveparentingsolutions.com.  I think there are some really good tools and tips included here.  Karla 

How to get kids to cooperate without yelling or nagging

The Recovering Yeller

    Nagging, reminding and yelling

    Behavioral and discipline strategies aren’t working

    Started on positive parenting journey

    Strategies to help direct their behavior

Why Kids Misbehave

    Misbehavior is a symptom

    Attention Bucket

    Power Bucket

    Decode your child’s behavior

    Get to the root cause

Power Behaviors

    Different from attention-seeking behaviors

    Sense of independence and autonomy

    Micromanaging our kids

    Kids respond negatively to being micromanaged

Giving Power Back

    Fill their power bucket

    Give them opportunities to be independent and capable

    Give them more choices

    Teach them how to complete grown-up tasks

Alternatives to Timeouts

    Spend one on one time with child -

body,soul,mind

Be totally present with your child

for 10-15 min.

Fill up the attention bucket

Alternatives to Consequences

    Kids don’t always need a consequence

    Use a When-Then vs “if you don’t get this done then we’re not going”

    Built-in consequences

    Give them the power to choose

5 R’s of Consequences - don’t overuse - use for 2 or 3 really important behaviors

            Respectful

Related

Reasonable

Revealed in Advance

Repeat Back

Team Problem Solving

    Sit down as a Team

    Identify problems

    Brainstorm Solutions

    Empower Kids

    Everybody gets to weigh in

The only thing worse than a permissive/overly strict parent is one that is a pendulum parent - back and forth between permissiveness and overly strict.  Children need more and more choices and responsibilities as they age.  Our goal is to be in the middle, consistently have a plan with limits set in place and recognizing when the powerful kids hit the buttons etc.
 

    Decide what your non-negotiables are

    Stick to the rules you’ve set
    Follow Through each time

    Be aware of manipulative behaviors

Kids in Public

    Fill the attention and power buckets before you go out - mind, body and soul time

    Have a list on a clipboard that they can be responsible for

    Set clear expectations beforehand  --- we don’t get cookies at the grocery store, if you ask and have a tantrum, we will go to the car until you’re finished.  Give as little power and attention to the tantrum, undesirable behaviors as possible.

Connecting with Kids

    Mind, Body, Soul time

    Fill the attention and power baskets in a proactive way

    Kids are more cooperative

    More responsive to correction and instruction

No More Whining!

    Consistent mind, body, soul time

    Give them attention upfront

    Are they getting enough sleep?

    Train your children - when I hear your whining voice, I’m going to walk away (not in the

               heat of it but before - calm the child down by walking away and then do the training

               when everyone is settled down)

    Use non-verbal cues - hands over my ears, role play normal voice over a whining

               voice. redo positively.  Attention and verbal feedback of the whining voice is

               negative.

    Remove the payoff for the undesirable behavior - training and roleplay, redo the appropriate choice is much more effective than a negative consequence

Difference between punishment (reprimand after the fact) and discipline (training for future correct behavior)

Times for Chores!

    Call them family contributions (reinforces that you make a difference around here)

    Use the when-then format

    Family Meetings

    Mix it up

    Emphathize, appreciate and acknowledge “I have complete faith that you can do it!  let

               me know when you’re done!”

Is Everybody Ready?

    Start with a Good Routine

    Use the When-then format

    Mind, body, soul time in the morning

    Heart connection

Do you eat with that mouth?

    Words like “stupid”, “hate” and “dumb”

    Ignore the use of these and potty words, cursing etc

    Don’t give these words any power

    Walk away or walk out of the room

    Don’t overreact

    Train them and remind them that the source will not be accessible if you are going to

     hear them - if you can watch the TV show without repeating the words then ok, if

     not then we won’t watch them

TV and Video Games

    Consider limiting video games/TV to weekends only

    Use the when-then format

    Kids are often more cooperative

    Spend more time playing outside

    Get along with siblings better

    Spend more time reading

   

Our family unique? Why?

From time to time a friend or relative will remark how unique the relationship appears between us and our adult children.  It seems pretty positive, most of the time!

If there is any effort that I would attribute it to, I think it has to do with the hard relationship stuff like:

Honesty - sometimes it's brutal honesty but it opens the door for communication and restoration and growth

Apology - when my kids were younger and I would errantly use "reactive" discipline vs "pro-active" discipline they would say, "you're going to be sorry for this later."  While that prompted me to improve my "pro-active" discipline it also indicates a willingness in our family unit to own our actions, words and attitudes and apologize when we are wrong.
 

Humble - being honest and apologetic requires humility.  Please don't mistake humility for humiliation.  There is no room in positive family relationship for humiliation but rather a willingness to love others as we love ourselves.

And then, I don't think you can't put a value on the family meal table and family prayer around that table.  Fred and I strove (is that a word?) and still strive to include this in our daily experience.  Stopping, quieting ourselves and inviting the God of the Universe to "sup" with us can only make your family relationships blessed whether it's a "hard stuff" day or an easier day.

Bless you as you strive to keep your family relationships open and honest.  God's Word will NOT return void. 

 

Kool-Aid dyed eggs

Krazy Kool Eggs - (I'm not making any of these this year but am storing up ideas for next year!) - from April's Cook'n Newsletter

Here is a new idea for you, and fun for the kids!
We love Kool-Aid in our family. As a teen, it was a fun summer experience to dye hair with Kool-Aid, I sported purple (grape), blue (berry blue) and even a burgundy (cherry perhaps) colors in the summer. It washed out relatively quickly. My father learned that my cousins found his willingness to be a guinea pig awesome. My father also learned that lime green mustache and beard will leak when you work in an aluminum plant that had very high heat. High heat=hot body=sweat=lime lips. My dad never tried that again! So when I saw an idea for Kool-Aid dyed eggs, I knew I had to try it, since I might be a little too old for blue hair now (secretly I still wish for some rad colors though).
The end result of the Kool-Aid egg dye method is not perfect. I got splotches and I couldn't get the boldness of traditional egg dye. It was a new experience however and it was fun to try. If you have the materials on hand, even better. The eggs I used were not store-purchased and perhaps this makes a difference. Store-bought eggs seem more smooth at times than my backyard birdy's eggs (though hers do taste better and are likely more healthy). If you have a cracked egg it is possible that you may get to experience my father's feelings on Kool-Aid leak. None of my eggs broke, so I didn't have any problem with the Kool-Aid dye getting under the shell and none of the eggs taste like Kool-Aid.
My favorite color was from blue Kool-Aid mixed with a little lemon lime. It turned this awesome light turquoise that reminded me of a robin's egg.
Here is a color guide to help you out!

•   Cherry—Red
•   Strawberry—Red (Not much different than the cherry)
•   Pink Lemonade—Pink
•   Lemonade—Light Yellow
•   Orange—Orange
•   Lemon Lime—Lime green
•   Mixed Berry—Blue
•   Grape—Black (reminded me of dinosaur eggs, and would be fun to do with my nephews)

If you want to get crafty and pick some other flavors to try I have a cheat for you! Look at the Kool-Aid package, the color in the glass that the Kool-Aid man is holding is the color the dye will turn out to be! This doesn't hold true for off brands of powdered drink mix, but most often you can guess what the color will be. Off brand mixes should work just the same as the regular stuff. I did not try any crystal light type of beverage, so I don't know how that would work out.
Finally here are the directions. Simply mix one package of Kool-Aid with one cup of very warm water, I also added a splash of white distilled vinegar, to help set the color. I am not sure that the vinegar was needed but that is what I did. Mix well and then lower the egg into the mixture. The longer you leave the egg the more bold the color. After awhile however the eggs seemed to speckle, which just made them more interesting! Let the eggs dry well, I suggest a baking rack with paper toweling under so your counter top doesn't get dyed as well. Once dried, I didn't have color leakage, but it is possible, so watch your little's in their adorable Easter attire with these, especially if a bunny leaves them in the grass overnight and the dew makes things wet.

Cook'n Newsletter for April

Meal prep - BBQ style

My daughter Michelle is due with her first child within 8 weeks!!  How exciting is that?!!  She would like to stock her freezer before baby comes so we are gearing up for a month of freezer meal prep day this Saturday. 

 

 

That has a lot more detail than this but I thought I'd share my latest little trick to fast meal prep having the bbq'er in the house help!

Last week while shopping at Costco, Fred and I decided we would buy meat to bbq vs. meat to put in casseroles etc.  We found pork loin chops and pre-thin sliced carne asade beef round meat for just about $3 a pound.  I brought it home, found three sauces I thought I could build a meal around and started bagging!  The pork was a little thick so I sliced those in half.  It's not unusual for us to have company so some bags have 4 pieces of meat vs. 2.  All told, I have 40 pieces of meat for $40.  I didn't think a $ per serving was bad, the meat is marinated and Fred can help bbq while I make the salad!

I did add Montreal Steak Seasoning to every bag along with the sauce.

Chicken Spaghetti

While planning for meals last weekend with the "larger" family, I came across this recipe.  I knew I had the ingredients or something similar on the shelf.  My daughter-in-love Justina said she had wondered about this recipe - not quite sure how chicken and spaghetti go together.

I admit it, I'm guilty.  I never run to the store but rather make "substitutions".  On this day, it got me in a bit of trouble.  I used my healthier, lower sodium cream of chicken recipe (below) and didn't work with it enough to be "thick".  I also used more tomato sauce and diced tomatoes than I should have.  After 4 hours in the crock pot, it was looking pretty runny.

So, I added more velveeta and some rehydrated shredded potatoes.  This worked!  We had it over rotini and elbow macaroni.  I thought these also would hold the sauce better.  I like the "bite or spice" in this sauce.  It has a Mexican flavor.   We served with garlic bread and cabbage salsa/chips.  Garnish with cilantro if desired.

 

Condensed Cream of Soup Mix Recipe

By Linda Larsen, About.com Guide

Use instead of condensed canned cream soups in recipes. Just add the ingredient that forms the basis of the soup. Chop mushrooms, saute in a bit of olive oil and add for cream of mushroom soup. Add chicken for cream of chicken soup. You get the idea!

Yield: 3 cups dry - equivalent of 9 cans cream soup

Ingredients:

2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup instant reduced sodium chicken or beef bouillon granules
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp. white pepper

Preparation:  Combine all ingredients and mix well with wire whisk until blended. Store mix in an airtight container.

To prepare as a substitute for one can of condensed cream soup in recipes, stir together 1/3 cup dry mix and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened.  Add more water if necessary.

 

Online MOM Conference April 7-14

Hopefully all the information you need to register for this event is included in this email.  If not, this is the link to the online conference.  When I registered for this event I received a link to 4-5 videos that all homemakers might be interested in, http://conferenceformoms.com/bonus-videos/.  I watched the "foaming hand soap" one.  Turned out to be homemade laundry detergent.  All natural ingredients, costs $30 and lasts a family of 4, one year.  Uses 2 T. per load.  I love the glass jar!

 

 

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Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser. Dear Cook'n Fan,   My good friend Desi asked me to spread the word and let you know about the Mom Conference 2014, a FREE online Mom Conference: For Moms by Moms – it starts on Monday! Join with us and thousands of other moms as we watch and learn together how to save time, eat healthier, parent without yelling, nagging, or reminding, and so much more!   Register Now for FREE!   Desi Ward, host of The Mom Conference and creator of The Unconventional Kitchen, created this educational and entertaining event because no mom is perfect. That’s why we share our strengths! You know the whole idea "I'll do your laundry if you do my dishes?" At The Mom Conference we will gather together to learn from each other; we are our greatest resource!   Attend FREE and be a part of the online Mom Conference, taking place on April 7-14, 2014!   WHY?   It's going to be more fun than a solo shopping trip and more informative than a library full of parenting books!   Being a mom can be overwhelming at times, so The Mom Conference contains 30+ online classes to make motherhood more enjoyable. 30 rock star bloggers (mostly moms) will be teaching classes on topics incredibly important, like cooking a month's worth of dinners in ONLY a couple hours, getting kids to listen without yelling, nagging or reminding, and making sure there's not just heat in the kitchen, but how to put the sparks in your marriage, as well---sounds amazing, right?   Here are a few of the incredible presenters: -Freshly Picked -Six Sisters Stuff -100 Days of Real Food -Wellness Mama-One Good Thing By Jillee -Balanced Bites -Super Healthy Kids -And more!…   along with 20+ additional presenters sharing their wealth of knowledge. This invaluable (and FREE) resource is intended for mothers everywhere!   As moms, we share! And, the Mom Conference is all about moms helping moms by sharing ideas and gathering insights from our most reliable sources:each other!   It's all online and FREE!   Come listen and be inspired. Registration is now open for The Mom Conference, April 7-14, 2014!   Learn more about it and register for FREE now! DVO Enterprises 620 E. Windsor Ct Alpine, Utah 84004 This email was sent to: karla4cm@gmail.com Unsubscribe

Where Am I Blind?

I recently read a book by Brock & Bodie Thoene called First Light, the first in the A.D. Chronicles series.  It is a Biblical fiction story of the blind man referred to below.  Though he couldn't see with his eyes, he saw in so many ways.  It was a very good book.  The perspective of the parents, the religious leaders, the other beggars are all cause to ask, "where am I blind?"  "Peniel sees more than I do."

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Spiritual Blindness  http://reflectingtheimage.blogspot.com/2014/03/spiritual-blindness.html Posted: 28 Mar 2014 07:17 AM PDT Scripture: John 9:39-41 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. Observation: The man who was speaking to Jesus had been born blind.  In life there may be accidents or diseases that cause blindness but someone who has never seen, this is something completely different.  Jesus had healed this man and suddenly he could see.  The miracle of this is huge for modern science would tell us that his brain, unaccustomed to seeing would not even have known how to interpret the things he was seeing and yet he seemed able to make sense of it all, trying to explain to the religious leaders what had happened to him.  The religious authorities were so hung up on how they interpreted the law of Moses that they could not grasp what they were witnessing right in front of them.  The living God was being revealed in front of their faces.  God had become incarnate and was standing before them.  The blindness of the Law was putting on flesh and they were witnesses to this new life.  They were no longer blind, but since they chose not to believe they would have to live with their sin. Application: We can find ourselves in the different characters of this story.  First of all we meet up with the blind man himself.  He had done nothing to be deserving of his condition.  He was simply born without sight. The people of the world wanted to believe that he was deserving of his condition.  Surely he or his parents had sinned or he wouldn't have been blind.  He wasn't looking for healing that day.  He was simply sitting by the gate begging when someone pointed him out and asked Jesus a question.  The result was that Jesus took the man's weakness and turned it into more than the man could have ever imagined. This miracle was also for his parents.  Their personal needs would now be met because they would have a healthy son who could work and support them, rather than spending his days begging in the city. However, when the authorities come after them they are reluctant to declare who it is that has done this miracle.  They tell the officials to go ask their son...for he is old enough to respond for himself.  While they are willing to accept the benefits of this miracle, they are unwilling to confess that Jesus is Lord. Finally we meet up with the religious officials who should have known better.  They had studied the Law for years and were proud of all of their knowledge.  However, their knowledge had, in some ways made them blind.  They couldn't see the truth of Jesus who stood right in front of them.  They were too busy trying to do church right, that they missed The Messiah for whom they had been waiting.  He was right there! Where are we in this story?  We are invited into a deeply personal and intimate relationship with Christ...where we fall deeply in love with him...where our spiritual eyes are opened and we can see God incarnate...Jesus.  We are invited into a face to face relationship with him.  When we see him face to face, we reflect him to the world.  When we refuse to see him, we will reflect our own spiritual blindness. He wants to open our eyes so that we may declare the truth that Jesus is Lord! Prayer: Lord, may I never be ashamed to declare you to the world!  Amen.

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